Educational Science

Men More OK with Discrimination Than Women Are

Men are more tolerant of discrimination than women are, but both tend to accept prejudice against some immigrants and Arab-Americans, according to a new study. The results come from telephone and online surveys of more than 3,300 people conducted in 2002 by University of Southern California researchers. Each of the...

From Kennedy to Clinton: Why Everyone Is Thumbs-Up

Seems everyone these days is giving the thumbs-up, no matter the circumstances. Senator Edward Kennedy gave a big thumbs-up as he left the hospital Wednesday, facing a new outlook on life with a potentially deadly brain tumor. Hillary did it just this week at a we're-not-mathematically-defeated-yet campaign rally in Florida....

The giant earthquake that unleashed the Indian Ocean tsunamis in 2004 — killing more than 225,000 people in one of the deadliest natural disasters in history — might also have triggered other quakes around the world, new findings reveal. The earthquake that ravaged China last week may also have set...

Fat Kids Get Fewer Cavities

Flying in the face of conventional thought, overweight children have fewer cavities and healthier teeth compared to other kids, a new study finds. Scientists are clueless as to why. Researchers at the Eastman Dental Center, part of the University of Rochester Medical Center, analyzed data on nearly 18,000 children who...

Neurologist Explores Music's Healing Power

NEW YORK (AP) - Noted neurologist Oliver Sacks has found common ground with the pastor of Harlem's Abyssinian Baptist Church: Both men believe in the healing power of music. Sacks, the best-selling author of Awakenings and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, was to share the church...

Huge Flying Reptiles Ate Dinosaurs

With a name like T. rex, you'd expect to be safe from even the fiercest paleo-bullies. Turns out, ancient, flying reptiles could have snacked on Tyrannosaurus Rex babies and other landlubbing runts of the dinosaur world. A new study reveals a group of flying reptiles that lived during the Age...

Runaway Global Warming 635 Million Years Ago

A sudden and extreme case of runaway global warming 635 million years ago was caused by an abrupt release of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, scientists said today. The methane seeped from ice sheets that covered much of the planet toward the end of a frigid era called Snowball Earth....

Nanowire 'Paper Towel' Designed to Clean Up Oil Spills

A mat of nanowires with the touch and feel of paper could be an important new tool in the cleanup of oil and other organic pollutants, scientists announced today. MIT researchers and colleagues say they have created a membrane that can absorb up to 20 times its weight in oil,...

How Humans Outlive Rats

Humans are built to last. Rats, not so much. A newly discovered body clock apparently ticks much faster in rats, snuffing out their lives tens of years earlier than humans. This biological rhythm, which tends to cut short the lives of smaller animals and let big creatures live longer, should...